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From Command to Conscience: Obasanjo Reflects on Nigeria’s Journey, Leadership Failures, and His Legacy

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8 months ago

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he was in a hurry to see Nigeria attain its potential for greatness, stressing that he is now “getting close” to his departure lounge.

Obasanjo made the remark while reflecting on his years in public service and his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future,’ where he assessed Nigeria’s leadership trajectory and criticised both past and present administrations.

According to him, his writings and interventions over the years have not been borne out of animosity but out of a desire to see that Nigeria progress.

“All my writings have been aimed at making Nigeria better because I strongly believe that Nigeria can be made better and I also believe in documentation,” he said.

The former president explained that he had written works such as ‘My Command’, ‘Nzeogwu’, ‘Not My Will’, and his three-volume autobiography, ‘My Watch’, to shed light on his experiences in leadership, policy decisions, imprisonment, and the challenges Nigeria has faced.

I have written Letters to my superiors and my successors in moments of our nation’s troubles and challenges. I have done these not out of malice but to help leaders to learn lessons and to draw the attention of Nigerians to the nature of the various crises,” he noted.

Obasanjo, who ruled Nigeria as both military Head of State (1976–1979) and civilian President (1999–2007), said he was aware of criticisms that he often sounded sanctimonious, but insisted his conscience remained clear. “Some have accused me of being equally guilty of the things I have written about or accused others of. I rely on my conscience and my records and have no need to defend myself,” he stated.

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On his years as a military leader, Obasanjo said he and his contemporaries may have been inexperienced but were patriotic. “We were young, maybe somewhat naïve at times but we were patriotic and committed and sincerely so. We sought to feed our people, we sought to provide infrastructure, we sought to prioritise education, we sought to bring Nigeria to modernity and raise our profile in the international arena,” he explained.

In his latest book, Obasanjo described the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari (2015–2023) as “the worst civil administration regime so far in Nigeria’s history.”

He recalled how Buhari, in justifying the 1983 coup against the then President Shehu Shagari, condemned corruption, mismanagement, and electoral malpractice, but failed to address those same issues when he later became a democratically elected president. “Good points and good words which Buhari failed to follow when he became the President years later. Words are cheap and what needed to be done was left undone during Buhari’s civil administration,” Obasanjo wrote.

However, Mallam Garba Shehu, spokesman to the late Buhari, said Obasanjo’s criticisms were rooted in personal animosity. “There are many around Buhari who hold that the spectacular falling out between him and his superior in the military…was on account of the demand, reportedly put to him by Obasanjo, that the contract for the Mambilla Power Project be given to a contractor he preferred. On this, Buhari politely told the former president to allow him to handle it his own way,” Shehu alleged in his book According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience.

Obasanjo also reserved harsh words for the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of inefficiency. “Only Bola Tinubu’s administration seems to be competing with Buhari’s (in the area of inefficiency) for now,” he declared.

Efforts to obtain a response from the presidency were unsuccessful as calls and messages to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, and the Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, were not responded to as of press time.

Obasanjo reiterated that his legacy would speak for him, noting that he had served Nigeria in different capacities, endured imprisonment, and witnessed both the best and worst of the nation. “Yes, I am both angry and sad because I have seen the best and the worst of our country. With hindsight, we know we made some mistakes, but again we did some great things in our country, for our country and for Africa,” he said.

“I have had the great honour of serving this country as a military Head of State and a President. So, it might be said that I have sat on both sides of the fence. I have gone through the crucible of rural life, meagre resources, military peacekeeping in Africa, war in my own country, humiliation and imprisonment. I have learned a lot from what I have gone through, pleasant and not-so-pleasant,” Obasanjo added.

 

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Nigeria, Türkiye Strike Defence Deal for Major Military Training Facility to Boost Security

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4 hours ago

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April 19, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Nigeria and Türkiye have agreed to establish a major military training facility in Nigeria as part of a defence partnership aimed at strengthening the country’s security architecture.

The agreement was reached during bilateral talks between Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, and his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.

According to a statement on Sunday by the Ministry of Defence’s Chief Information Officer, Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, the planned training centre will serve as a long-term hub for capacity development, with Nigeria already identifying a suitable coastal location for the permanent facility.

She said a temporary site is also expected to be provided to kick-start operations.

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Under the arrangement, Nigerian Armed Forces personnel will undergo specialised training in areas such as Special Forces operations, counterterrorism, intelligence integration, counter-drone and counter-IED operations, as well as United Nations pre-deployment exercises.

The statement partly read, “The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), led a high-level Nigerian delegation to productive bilateral talks with the Turkish Minister of Defence at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.

“The delegation included the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy, the Defence Adviser and senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Embassy in Türkiye.

“Training and capacity development: Türkiye proposed structured, scalable training programmes for Nigerian Armed Forces in areas including Special Forces operations, counterterrorism, intelligence integration, counter-drone and counter-IED operations, and UN pre-deployment training.

“Immediate deployment of an initial cohort to Türkiye was agreed, alongside Turkish language instruction and participation in field training exercises.

“Both parties agreed to establish a major military training facility in Nigeria as a long-term centre of excellence; Nigeria will provide a temporary training site and has identified a suitable coastal location for permanent infrastructure.”

Beyond training, she said the partnership includes provisions for technology transfer, defence industry collaboration, and co-development of military capabilities.

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Ex-Governor Shekarau Joins APC for Third Time, Cites PDP’s Challenges

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4 hours ago

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April 19, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A former Kano State Governor, Sen. Ibrahim Shekarau, has dumped Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for All Progressives Congress, APC.

Available records show that he is joining the party for the third time since its formation.

Mr Shekarau announced the decision while addressing supporters at his Mundubawa residence in Kano on Sunday.

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The two-term former governor said that the decision followed wide consultations with his political group and after weighing so many options.

“We took the decision after wide deliberations and weighing several options which include joining the APC after realising that PDP is facing so many challenges.

“We cannot align with ADC, a party filled up with people of personal interests, a party struggling to gain its feet,” Mr Shekarau said.

He called on his supporters to formally resign their PDP membership from their wards and go to their APC leaders on how to register with the party in order to meet the deadline for registration.

Mr Shekarau is expected to communicate the date he will be leading his teeming supporters to visit his Giginyu ward in Nassarawa Local Government Area of the state to carry out his APC party membership registration.

The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, had, on April 8, visited Kano to plead with Shekarau to join the party and work for its victory in the 2027 general elections.

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JAMB Arrests Two, Parent over Result Falsification

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced the arrest of two candidates and a parent for falsifying 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results using Artificial Intelligence and other electronic tools.

The disclosure came as the board released scores for 632,788 candidates who sat the examination on Thursday, April 16.

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JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, in a statement, said the suspects were apprehended for manipulating official SMS result notifications to fabricate or alter scores with the intent to deceive others, including parents and guardians.

“Currently, two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means,” the statement read.

Benjamin warned that such conduct constituted a serious criminal offence and that the board would pursue all culpable persons to the full extent of the law.

He also cautioned candidates against tampering with result messages from JAMB’s official SMS platforms, 55019 and 66019.

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